Something Done Right
by Ink Parallax
Summary: Rei Nakadai hates blood. It makes her sick. Which is why she uses poison to remove anything that threatens her small village, and the place she calls home. The thing is, if something doesn't have blood, it can't be poisoned, and puppets don't have blood. Not one drop. - - - Sexy, funny, and a little bit dramatic, this story is about an unlikely couple in an unlikely world.
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter**____**One**_

Rei Nakadai slunk beneath the trees, their shadows tangling themselves around her as she made her way through the wet grass. Her fingers were wrapped carefully in black cloth, her dark eyes trained harshly on the clearing through the brush. She could see her target, a fat man surrounded by ninja guards, their eyes hazy with alcohol.

_How irresponsible_, she thought coldly to herself. She pulled a series of needles from a pouch at her hip, tipped in poison and deadly within the hour. With a flick of her wrist the job was done.

The fat man barely moved. He reached up to scratch his neck, the needle falling out of his skin and to the ground. He checked his hand. He thought it was merely a bug bite, his mouth opening up in a sickening laugh at a cruel joke made by one of his companions.

Satisfied, Rei quickly exited the scene. She had no intention of being caught.

Some ways away, she relaxed, unwrapping her hands casually as she walked and discarding the fabric into the bushes. That and the needle would be the only sign she had ever been there.

Her small village wasn't too far away. This man, this ugly fat man had been on his way there, but fortunately for her people he would never make it.

She had heard of his inevitable arrival from a roving merchant, whose eyes had been wide with disgust and greed. He had seen the man in some village or town before, his piggy eyes trained on young women before they disappeared in the night along with the slaver, never to be seen by their families again. In her mind she pictured her sweet Kishi in his fat arms and grimaced.

Apart of her thought to tell the authorities, but she knew better. A man like that had some sort of power. He managed to get away with it many times in the past, and it was unlikely that he would be caught should he manage to grease enough palms. Sagai and the villages around it were going through hard times.

In fact, all of the ninja world seemed to be struggling at the moment.

* * *

Rei was exhausted.

She unlocked her door and made her way into her small apartment, breathing in the sweet smell of lavander and ramen. She felt her stomach growl, and as she decided whether she could convince herself to make something to eat, her cat bounded around the corner to push it's face into her shin.

"Oh, Amai," she sighed, bending over to scratch his head. He purred in content, closing his eyes. As she made her way into the kitchen, Amai pranced after her, bouncing on his tiny paws and mewling to his person happily in greeting. "Oh, yeah? It sounds like you had a more exciting time than I did." He meowed in response.

As she popped him open a can of tuna, he swished in between her feet. She struggled not to step on him, smiling at the welcome home.

While he ate she boiled water, searching in her fridge for eggs and found that she was entirely out. Frowning, she turned to Amai.

"Do we have any instant ramen?" She asked. In response Amai ate his tuna. She scrunched her nose before moving her search to the cabinets.

While she was waiting for her ramen to steam she made her way through her apartment, her tired eyes searching carefully through what little she kept. She was paranoid to a fault, her intense lifestyle leading her to remain thoughtful and observant. Finding nothing out of place, she picked an old smut novel off of her shelf.

_Icha Icha Paradise, Three-Jump Cowboy_ was pleasantly well written and only mildly bizarre. It left her feeling somewhat lonely. She glanced over at Amai, who had sprawled out near her heater and lay with his eyes half closed, peering around the room lazily.

"Should I get a boyfriend?" She asked. Amai blinked at her. Rei sighed, running a hand through her dark hair and finding her hair tie. She pulled it from her hair and massaged her scalp, wincing slightly. "Does this lifestyle suit a boyfriend? Do ninja's in other places date?" She pursed her lips. "I mean, do they date _regular _people?"

She hadn't really been around any other ninja's since she had finished her training. Her mentor had died horrifically, and left to find her own way, she began mixing poisons and struggling to bring herself to the next level on her own. The sight of his death had haunted her for some time. The sight of blood made her queasy, still, and even a cut on her finger made her dizzy.

Despite her fighting style, she left no room for uncertainty. Perhaps it had been cruel, but the only way to be sure had been through many tests, tests which would leave most of the people in her village gaping at her in horror if they had ever known. The mysterious deaths of animals around Sagai had been news for months, and remained an eerie legend even now. Rei had been very careful to be sure no one knew her secret, for their own good more than her own.

With a sigh, Rei closed her book and set it down beside her. She stood and stretched, and made her way to her bedroom.

She didn't even remember her head hitting the pillow.


	2. Chapter 2

"You are everything I have ever wanted, my love."

Rei gasped as Shinobu Kouboi wrapped her up in his thick, muscley arms, his dark eyes burning through her like a hot fire that would never go out.

"But we can't be together," she sighed, her rosy lips wrapping around each word carefully. Sweat slid languidly down her back, and her chest pressed against his own broad, muscle bound pectorals. He could feel her heartbeat and his own pounding out a rhythm in unison, the slick heat of the farm making her slide against his bare skin.

"I can't be without you, Miryoku!"

Rei swore she heard a record scratch.

She awoke, covered in sweat, and groaned to herself.

"I have _got _to stop reading romance novels right before bed," she grumbled, twisting uncomfortably out of her sheets, unsticking the fabric from her sweating legs and she stretched out her arms. Her window was still cracked open just slightly. She had left it open when she had left, and now the sun and the heat streamed through with abandon. She could hear the cicadas and the bustling of the villagers outside her window.

Disdainfully, she made her way to the kitchen, clicking on her fan as she went.

Where she lived, it got impossibly cold at night and burning hot during the day. The sun seemed too close or too far away, and the land refused to retain any heat because of the lack of humidity.

She poured herself a glass of water and gulped it down.

Rei spotted the book she had left on her couch, and wiping her mouth clear she made her way over and picked it up.

"Damn, even my dream lovers aren't great," she mumbled, thumbing through the pages. Amai was nowhere to be seen, but that wasn't unusual. He hated the heat. She found the page she had left it on, some pervish, saccharine description of a night between two lovers. She enjoyed how authors wrote sex scenes, mostly because she found most of the descriptive words hilarious. "'She grabbed his hair and rode him like she would a horse, her own whinnying shouted into the night,' _ahaha!_" She couldn't hold back her laughter, imagining some well endowed cowgirl riding a beefcake of a man around like a horse while making her own supplementary sound effects.

"My _god_, that's ridiculous," Rei laughed, wiping a tear away from her eye and making her way back to her bookshelf to leave Icha Icha Paradise at home with it's sequels. "Maybe I should write a book."

She turned and looked around at her empty apartment.

"Maybe I should get a roommate," she sighed, rubbing her eyes, and made her way to the bathroom for a shower, stripping as she went.

Her casual clothes were much more comfortable than her mission clothes. She wore a flowery sundress, tied her hair up and grabbed a basket and some cash. She had forgotten to go grocery shopping before she left, and now was as good a time as any.

Sagai wasn't exactly a quiet village, especially when there was a good deal at the market.

Something about shouldering her way through the crowds was comforting and enjoyable to her. The stalls stood under colorful tents, the merchants calling out loudly to potential customers. Rei found herself distracted by pretty fabrics and vibrant flowers, smiling at laughing children and turning, stone faced and obviously jealous from lovey couples. The people in Sagai were peaceful and mostly kind.

"If it isn't Rei."

She smiled as she approached a fruit stall, the wrinkled, tan woman sitting in the shade grinning at her in return.

"If it isn't Granny Baba," Rei teased back, plucking a durian from one of the baskets and looking over it for any imperfections.

"You just keep disappearing. I'm only worried one day you won't reappear again," Granny chided. Rei offered her a coy smile.

"If I do that you can assume I've run off with an attractive man," she laughed, tucking the fruit into her basket and putting her hand on her hip.

"A man?" Granny laughed. "And who might this man be?" She asked, a mischievous look in her old eyes.

"Oh, I don't know," Rei sighed, waving her hand. "Someone muscley and hunky, with a big heart and an _even bigger_-"

"Oh, I didn't know you were back!" Rei was interrupted by a young girl coming out from behind the tent, a big smile on her pretty tanned face.

"Kishi," Rei greeted happily, her eyes lighting up. The short, dark skinned girl came around to give her a hug, her own eyes shining.

"Did I hear something about a man?" She asked, looking curious and somewhat delighted. Already tired of the thought, Rei gently rolled her eyes.

"Oh, not really. Just girlish fantasies," Rei sighed, dejectedly watching a young couple walk past, canoodling and crowing at each other.

"Good, that means you're still free to go out for a drink with me, then," Kishi smiled, her grin never leaving her face as she expertly dodged a flying sudachi. It nailed a poor man in the head who yelped, and turned to find where the assaulting fruit had come from.

"Young girls like you shouldn't be hanging out in nasty bars the way you do!" Granny yelled, shaking her old fist at the two.

"Granny, come on," Kishi scolded, rolling her eyes sassily and putting her hands on her hips. "I'm nearly twenty. I'm not that young."

"You look young to me!" Granny barked.

"Well, that's because you're a dinosaur!"

"_Respect your elders!_" Granny roared.

Laughing to herself, Rei figured now was the best time to make her escape.

"I'll see you later, Kishi!"

"_Get back here and pay for that!_"

Rei picked up her pace, laughing. "Put it on my tab!"

* * *

"Ugh, I _hate _the desert, uhn," Deidara scowled. He swiped a strand of long blond hair at his eyes, glowering at the scraggly brush and red bricks of the small village. People were milling about around them, but no one seemed to really be paying them any mind.

"This is barely the desert," Sasori replied. If he could scowl, he would have.

"Yeah, maybe not in comparison to Shit-Suna, uhn," Deidara snapped back, shaking sand out of his shoe. "What are we even doing here, yeah?"

Sasori _could _roll his eyes, and that he did.

"Do you ever pay attention?"

"Hardly, uhn," Deidara huffed as a gust of wind blew his hair into his face. He pushed it haughtily out of his face, blowing strands off his lips. "Damn, my lips are chapped already, yeah," he scowled, rubbing his mouth.

"We're here to meet with a slaver from Itagakure. He has important documents for us to acquire," Sasori growled, ignoring his obnoxious companion.

"How long is this going to take, yeah?" Deidara asked, tossing his teammate a glance, and then roving his eyes along the people around them. They wore colorful clothes and seemed genuinely cheerful. He couldn't imagine why. Sagai was hot and dry and awful. He was already sweating beneath his cloak. "Why the hell do I have to wear this crap, yeah? It's hot as fuck out here!"

His outburst caught the attention of several people around them, and they watched him as he walked away, glancing warily at each other.

"Oh, please, direct more attention our way, you _idiot_," Sasori replied sarcastically. "We'll have to find a hotel. I don't want to sleep outside in the sand." Picking up his pace, Sasori marched ahead. "Now, hurry up."


	3. Chapter 3

"Fuck, I thing I can-, uh had one two many," Kishi hiccoughed, giggling cheerily as she swayed in her barstool. Rei let out a laugh straight from her belly, throwing back her head.

"More like four too many," she cackled. Kishi gave her a confused look.

"I only _had _four," she whined, furrowing her brow.

"Exactly!" Rei bellowed, slamming her empty cup on the counter and waving over the bartender. "I need another one of these, damn!" She didn't notice the bartender rolling his eyes, but he wasn't too annoyed. After all, Rei and Kishi were two of his favorite customers. It wasn't often that he got pretty young women in his bar, and he thought maybe he was lucky that two such girls seemed to think this rundown dump as their favorite.

"What's a pretty thing like you doin' in a place like this?"

Then again, as he watched Rei grab the man and shove his face into the bar, holding his arm behind his back and yelling curses at the back of his head, maybe he wasn't as lucky as he'd like to think.

By the time the bartender, Shinobu, had managed to calm Rei down and get her to release the poor guy, Kishi had begun to snooze on the bar. He sighed, putting his head in his hands while Rei yelled at the guy to get out while he retreated like a dog with his tail between his legs.

Disgruntled, Rei turned back around and grabbed her drink, taking a deep swig and scrunching her face.

"Man, I hate guys like that," she scowled, glowering down into her drink.

She was too drunk to notice the two entering the bar behind her.

Sasori glanced around the rundown bar.

He wasn't a fan of this sort of place. He couldn't drink if he wanted to, anyway, so the pleasures of such a dingy hole were entirely lost on him.

He took a moment to observe his surroundings. There weren't very many people in here, a couple villagers sitting in booths in the low light, talking quietly among themselves. He noticed that some of them were casting wary glances toward the two girls sitting at the bar. They shared the same tan skin as the rest of the village folk, but he noticed a thin litheness that was uncommon in farmers in the one with the long hair. She was staring down into her cup furiously while the bartender tried to sooth her, or something like that.

"Now this is much better, uhn," Deidara smiled, marching up to the bar with money in hand. Sasori watched him lazily, before turning to find a seat in a dark corner. His job tonight was simply to watch and wait, his least favorite thing to do. But what he lacked in patience he made up for in willpower. He had a sense of honor toward his gang, and he wasn't stupid enough to think he could get away with botching a mission as important as this one.

Deidara approached the bar with enthusiasm, coming to stand beside the long haired girl. He glanced at her sideways, somewhat curious about her sour attitude.

"Not a good drink, yeah?" He asked conversationally. He could feel Sasori glaring holes into his back, but he didn't really care. They were supposed to blend in, anyway. People started up chats at bars, it was normal.

She looked over at him, and then her eyes sparked curiosity.

Rei had never met someone like him before.

He was pale despite being sunkissed, at least pale in comparison to all of the people that she knew, and he had endlessly long blond hair tied up in a high ponytail. The one eye she could see was blue and filled with an interestingly innocent curiosity. He was clearly young, maybe about her age or a little younger, and if his smooth skin and flawless complexion meant anything it was that he was a little bit of a pretty boy.

"Nah, I don't like the company." The boy looked suddenly put off and she blushed, quickly raising her hands. "No, I don't mean you!" She laughed, embarrassed. "Sorry, that came out completely wrong. I mean, er, there was this guy and he, well, he was a total sleaze, at least he was acting like it, and it put me off, I-" She stopped herself, her blush growing more intense. "I'm talking way too much, aren't I?"

"A little bit, yeah," he said, tilting his head slightly and giving her a wry smirk.

"I'll buy you a drink. Shinobu!" She called, waving to the bartender who made his way over. "Saki for two, please," she grinned, her face flushed from embarrassment and alcohol. He nodded almost sagely, which made Rei snort. Beside her Kishi snored loudly. "I'm Rei," she smiled, bowing casually.

"Kokei, uhn," he replied, bowing somewhat awkwardly in return. Shinobu returned with their saki, and Rei downed a cup quickly. She was already in deep, but at this point she figured there was no going back. Deidara took a seat beside her, quickly memorizing his fake name.

"So, you're not from here?" Rei asked. Deidara examined her. She was a pretty thing, with her tan skin and dark eyes. She would have an exotic look to her anywhere else, but among the villagers of Sagai she blended in perfectly. She was obviously fit, maybe a little _too _fit for a villager. She was wearing a revealing top and form fitting pants. He wasn't surprised that she was being hit on by some undesirable folk, especially in a place like this.

"No, yeah," he said, taking a sip of his sake. It was cheap and bitter, but he was used to it. She frowned, confused, her eyes hazy.

"What?" She tilted her head, her black hair falling over her shoulder. Deidara scowled.

"No, I'm not from here, uhn," he enunciated. Rei blinked, then a giggle spilled out of her mouth.

"Obviously, I mean, you're so _pale_," she laughed. Deidara glared at her, but a smile was flitting over his lips.

"To you, maybe," he snapped back. She only continued to laugh at him.

"What are you doing in Sagai?" She asked, still chuckling. Deidara raised an eyebrow.

"Are you going to laugh at me for that, too, yeah?" He teased, taking another sip of his sake.

"Maybe, that depends on what you're in town for," she smiled, leaning on her hand and gazing at him. Deidara gave her a coy smile.

"I think that I'm gonna keep that to myself, yeah." He downed the last of his sake and stood. "Thanks for the drink, uhn."

"Oh, well. You're welcome," Rei frowned. He waved lazily over his shoulder as he walked way, towards a redheaded boy sitting in the back of the room. She frowned as she watched him go, then turned and sunk down into her seat. "Ugh." She put her head on the bar. Maybe she had too much to drink.

"What's wrong now?" Shinobu sighed, coming back to stand before her, wiping out a glass with a rag.

"I'm so bad at flirting," she grumbled. Shinobu glanced over her shoulder to see the blond she had just been talking to staring back at her. He could see the smirk on the kids face, and it made him frown.

"Well, maybe you just haven't found the right guy, yet," he comforted, placing the glass down on a shelf.

"Maybe," she groaned. LIfting her head up, she looked over at Kishi. "I should probably get her home, huh?" It wasn't really a question, but Shinobu nodded anyway. Rei stood from her chair and stretched, before turning and heaving Kishi onto her back. She stumbled a little, but made her way to the door.

Shinobu shook his head. No matter how many times he saw it, Rei looked a little ridiculous drunkenly hauling her friend out the door. She was so small, which made her strength all the more surprising.

When he noticed the two newcomers watching her leave he frowned again.

Something about the newcomers rubbed him the wrong way.

* * *

_**A/U: Just a quick note, I'm noticing that the chapters are pretty short in comparison to what I normally do. Sorry if it's a little disorienting! Considering the scenes are short, and there's really no need to make them longer at the time, I figure that it fits the flow.**_

_**Please leave a review if you like the story!**_


	4. Chapter 4

Something was wrong.

Sasori and Deidara stood outside of the bar, Deidara slightly tipsy from his drinking. Their contact had not shown up when he was supposed to. He didn't like to be kept waiting. He looked down the road, his eyes half lidded. What had happened?

"That girl was pretty cute, uhn," Deidara remarked drunkenly. Sasori glanced at his partner, somewhat annoyed. "Kind of plain, maybe, but she wasn't so bad, yeah." He sighed, stretching his arms and his back. "If I had known that we were going to be stood up I would have spent more time with her, uhn."

"Could you focus?" Sasori hissed. Deidara gave him a half hearted glare, scratching the back of his head. Sasori wasn't sure where to start. The fact that he had to track the slaver was obvious, but he couldn't very well start in someplace the man had never been.

"Just because you don't like women doesn't mean I can't, yeah." Deidara rolled his eyes.

"When have I ever said I don't like women?" Sasori remarked, his mind temporarily distracted from the mission.

"You're too cold, uhn," Deidara snapped back, a taunting grin on his face. "Besides, can you even _enjoy _a woman with that body of yours, uhn?"

Sasori frowned just slightly. When he was younger he had certainly felt the draw of the feminine form. There was a certain artistic quality to it. The greatest masters had been drawn to the artform of a woman's gentle curves since the dawn of time, there was no shame in that. He pondered the concept of a puppet enjoying the warmth of another human _at all. _Could it even be done?

"I have no interest in… _companionship_," Sasori replied, his lips pursed. Deidara raised an eyebrow.

"So that's a no then, yeah?" Deidara ran a hand through his thick hair, grinning contentedly. Sasori glared at him.

"No, I cannot enjoy a woman the way _you _do with _this _body." Sasori abruptly turned and began to make his way down the road. He knew the direction the slaver had come from. Perhaps he would find some clues there.

"Do you have another body that can have sex, uhn?" Deidara joked, following his partner quickly. He knew better than to dawdle. If he did, he would easily be left behind. Sasori glared at his partner.

"What has you so interested in this?"

"I'm just curious, yeah." Deidara grinned. "Every man likes sex, uhn."

"That's awfully ignorant of you." Sasori cast back. "I suppose, if I had any interest, it would be easy to preserve an individual's sex organs when creating a puppet. Creating any sort of meaningful contact between the nerves and my chakra would be difficult, and meaningless, but it would be done."

"Huh, uhn," Deidara grunted, crossing his arms. "Trying to convince a girl into bed is hard enough, yeah. Adding all that sounds like too much work, uhn." Sasori rolled his eyes.

"Hurry up. I don't want to keep anyone waiting."

* * *

Rei woke, and immediately wished she hadn't.

Her head was pounding. She groaned, covering her eyes against the sun that was coming in through the window. She had somehow made it to her bed, but she didn't even vaguely remember the trip home.

The last thing she remembered was drinking with a handsome blond. That, and making a total idiot of herself by flirting so openly with someone who was clearly uninterested.

"Fuck me," she growled, laying flat on her back and trying to pull together some kind of motivation. After several minutes of debating whether or not getting out of bed was even an option, she finally peeled herself out of her sheets and headed straight for a cool bath.

Laying in the water was exactly what she needed. She scrubbed her legs down, taking her time while shaving them, and then lay for another hour. Amai came to check on her at one point and make sure she wasn't drowning. Surely he was confused as to why anyone would want to hang out in _water _of all things. She flicked a couple droplets at him and he glared at her before slinking back to his hiding place.

"I really, _really _need to get laid," she grumbled.

Eventually she pulled herself from the bath, albeit reluctantly, and dried herself off before hunting in her kitchen for something to eat.

By the time she had taken care of herself, the sun was already beginning to set. Her abnormal lifestyle allowed for sleeping at all hours of the day and generally doing whatever she wanted. She had some money still, stolen notes from some corrupt merchant who had stolen a little too much from the villagers of Sagai. The thought reminded her that rent was due in a couple of days.

Despite that, she had some cleaning up to do.

She waited until it was dark before getting dressed in something a little more congruent to jumping across tree branches. She checked her poisons, sorting through them somewhat neurotically. She had no intention of killing anyone tonight, so she plucked a bottle labeled 'Barbiturates' from the cardboard box she kept them in, checked the stopper and set out on to the street.

It took her a little while to find where the slavers camp had been set up.

As she expected, the guards had vanished. She had been sure they were just some hired help, and since they felt no loyalty to the man, his body had been left in the clearing.

She grimaced at the sight of his grey, bloated body.

"I hate this part," she groaned to herself. But it was a necessary evil. She leaned down to grab ahold of his arms, but something was off. She frowned, standing back up and taking a step back.

Someone besides the guards had been here.

She could see streak marks in the dirt, trails left by long fabric. She furrowed her brows. A dress? Or a cloak? Who would come all the way out here? She looked around, curious if she could perhaps find any other signs.

There were none.

She examined the man's body. His clothes were disheveled, and at first she had just assumed that the guards that had been guiding him had seen his sudden death as an opportunity. Perhaps that wasn't the case. Curious, she bent over and began rifling through his pockets, pulling open his jacket and examining every part of him. If anything was missing, there was no sign of it.

Rei examined her situation. Surely no police of any kind had been out here. If that were the case, he surely wouldn't still be here. Maybe it was some curious traveler of some kind, or a robber who had been following him. She could still get rid of the body. It was unlikely she would garner any suspicion for that.

She reverted back to her original plan, dragging the man into the bushes.

Whoever had been here was unlikely to come back.

* * *

At the discovery of the slavers body, Sasori had been surprised.

After a swift examination he determined that whoever had killed him had used poison, and it was a kind he was unfamiliar with. He found the prick of a senbon needle in his neck. It could have easily been mistaken for a blemish, but his eyes missed little to nothing. He hadn't been aware there were any ninja near Sagai. His sources had told him that this man wasn't currently being hunted.

Regardless, the scrolls he needed were not on the mans body. He could only assume that whoever had killed him had taken them for themselves.

He had been certain that the ninja would be long gone by now, until he found the scraps of cloth left in the bushes on the road back to Sagai.

He sat in his hotel room, pondering this interesting development. Whoever had gotten to the slaver before he had was likely still in Sagai. There were a lot of people in the village, and he had been certain none of them were ninja. Could his sources be mistaken?

There was a lot of work to be done regarding this mystery.

* * *

_**A/U: It's turned into a detective novel. How did that happen?**_

_**Please remember to leave a review if you like the story! It's always nice to get feedback, and it helps a lot in both my writing quality and motivation!**_


	5. Chapter 5

Sasori sat very still on the roof of the hotel, his fingers forming a sign carefully in his lap, his eyes closed as he tried to focus.

He had been here for some time, struggling to sense some sort of chakra presence of any worth within the village, but so far he had no luck.

He sighed, pulling from his trance and unfolding his fingers. He gazed out over the darkened village with a twinge of boredom and annoyance. Perhaps had he had been mistaken, and whoever this ninja was had already moved on from Sagai. It made little sense to him. If that were the case, they couldn't have gotten far. The slaver was supposed to arrive in the village only a day before himself.

He turned slightly when he heard the sound of sandals clacking on the pavement only two stories below him. Curiously and silently, he stood to investigate the noise.

A woman was walking down the street, her dark hair swishing behind her, tied in a high ponytail. Sasori wouldn't have found her suspicious if it hadn't been so late in the night. He had listened to all of the villagers going to bed, even those who stayed up too late for a drink. A pretty young woman like herself was not wise to be out on the street alone at an hour like this.

A closer look made a smirk spread across his lips. She was wearing tactical clothing, and he could see a senbon pouch strapped to her hip, even in the darkness. He had gotten lucky. This was his ninja.

The only question that remained was, who was this girl?

Quietly he followed her, watching her carefully from the darkness. She didn't seem to notice him. He couldn't see her features clearly in the dark of the village, and he wasn't sure he could get close enough without her seeing him. He wasn't sure if she could sense him or not, but he wasn't going to take too many chances this early in the game.

When she led him straight to her apartment, he frowned. Clearly she wasn't that skilled of a ninja. If she couldn't even sense him, it meant that she was barely genin level. He perched outside of her window, that of which had been left open, letting the cool night air into her apartment. Curious, he sat leisurely, leaning onto the knuckles of his hand.

As she flicked the lights on, he raised an eyebrow. It was the same girl from the bar the other night. She wore the same black cloth around her hands as he had found in the bushes outside of the village. Sasori smirked. He was surprised at how easy this had suddenly become.

He watched her carefully as she began to pull her tactical clothes from her body. She was fit, but not as skilled as he had original presumed. Satisfied, he made his way back to the hotel, thinking about what the next step should be.

Certainly getting rid of her would be easy. With her minimal skill, killing her would be the quickest method. However his orders were to leave as little damage behind as possible during this mission. The people were not supposed to fear the Akatsuki, they were supposed to revere them. Aside from that, he had seen no sign of the scrolls that he needed to acquire so far. If she had hidden them or sold them to someone there would be no way for him to find them with her dead.

He thought as he made his way back, and before he went into his own room he paused and pushed open the door to Deidara's. The blond looked up and raised an eyebrow.

"You're back, uhn," he remarked. Sasori closed the door behind him and took a seat across from the nin.

"I believe that I've found the scrolls," he said simply, watching as the blond took a sip from a cup of tea.

"That's good, yeah. We can get out of this place then, uhn," Deidara sighed, relieved.

"Not quite," he murmured, glancing toward the window. "I said I believe that I've found them, not that I have them."

"Oh, yeah?" Deidara grumbled. "Well, where are they, how do we get them, yeah?"

"Do you remember that girl from the bar the other night?" Sasori asked lowly, turning to face his partner. Deidara gave him an inquisitive look and nodded his head. "It's her, she's the one who killed our contact."

"Really, uhn? Some village girl, yeah?" Deidara asked, surprised. He took another drink of his tea, leaning his elbows onto his knees.

"She's more than just 'some village girl,'" Sasori remarked, thinking deeply. "If she made that poison, then she could very well be an extremely skilled ninja. However, when I followed her, it didn't seem as if she was aware of my presence." He narrowed his already half lidded eyes, squinting into the darkness.

"Well, then what's your plan, yeah?" Deidara leaned back, setting his cup down and flicking his hair back. Sasori turned his attention fully onto his partner.

"You have already met her. I think the best would be for you to distract her while I search her apartment. If the scrolls aren't there, then we'll move on to a more direct approach."

"Distract her, uhn?" His lips quirked upward into a small smirk. "How do you expect me to do that?"

"Ask her on a date, harass her until she feels threatened enough to go to a friends house, stage an accident of some kind. I don't care what you do, as long as she's distracted." Sasori stood lazily, making his way toward the door. "We'll do it tomorrow morning. I don't want to keep Pain waiting any longer than we have to."

"Sure thing, Sasori-danna, yeah," Deidara sighed.

* * *

Rei groaned as she stretched her arms above her head. She hated digging. She was sweaty, she smelled like dirt and she knew her body was going to ache tomorrow morning. Regardless, it was better than leaving the body to the vultures. She had done it in the past and was left with all sorts of problems, mostly wildlife dying rapidly because of the spread of the poison and all sorts of unwanted speculation about the resulting scene.

She pulled her shirt above her head, tossed it on the ground, and paused. The hair on the back of her neck was standing on end. She turned, glancing around her small apartment.

"What a creepy feeling," she mumbled. Was she being watched?

Almost obsessively she began pulling open the closets and searching in the corners of every room. She looked out her window, but there was no one to be seen. Only the empty street and the scraggly tree that wavered slightly in the wind. She quickly closed her window, shivering.

There was a sharp hiss behind her that made her jump, spinning around with senbon on hand. Standing behind her, hair on end was Amai, looking positively miffed. His tail was puffed out like a feather duster. Smiling humorlessly, she walked to him and kneeled in front of him.

"It's ok, Amai," she reassured. He didn't look convinced. Annoyed, he backed away and then turned to run out of the room. She sighed, standing.

"Oh, relax, won't you?" She grumbled to herself as she made her way to the bathroom.

She didn't stay in the shower for long, still feeling unnerved by the strange feeling. She dried herself off quickly and brought her pajamas back into the bathroom to change.

When she was finished she perched on her couch with a copy of _Icha Icha Paradise, Diva Season_, but her attention was divided. By the time she had gotten halfway through it she realized she didn't know what was happening in the book at all. Her eyes kept flitting back and forth between the window and the door, watching for any sign of movement.

It took several hours to convince herself that there was no one there.


	6. Chapter 6

Rei opened her eyes and looked at the window. It was early in the morning. She had laid down in bed, but she hadn't slept. Instead she had lay awake all night listening intently to the sounds outside of her apartment, not sure whether she was hoping to hear something suspicious or not.

She gathered herself together, getting dressed on high alert. She ate, but she didn't taste anything. Amai was sitting awake on the top of the couch, watching over the apartment with half lidded eyes. She had a feeling he hadn't moved all night, either.

As she stepped out of her apartment she glanced up at the scraggly tree near her window, but nothing seemed out of place. Feeling entirely unnerved, and unsure if she was finally going crazy or not, she made her way to the market.

Granny Baba was sitting in her fruit stall, watching the people walk by with lazy eyes. When Rei approached she smiled, waving her fan in front of her face. It was going to be a hot day.

"You're up awfully early," Granny teases as Rei approached. Rei gave a wavering smile in return, and Granny's eyes narrowed. "What's wrong, child?"

Rei slid into the stall, glancing over her shoulder warily. She recognized all of the people on the street. They were normal civilians, people she saw every day. It gave her little comfort.

"I've just been having this awful feeling of being watched," Rei grumbled, picking up a peach and examining it for an bruises. When she found none she set it back down. "Even Amai was freaked out."

"It's probably a spirit," Granny replied confidently. Rei gave her a wry look, crossing her arms.

"I'm serious."

"So am I," Granny nodded.

"Oh, wow, this all looks really good, uhn."

Rei practically jumped out of her skin when she realized someone was standing next to her. She whipped around, her eyes wide, to find the blonde haired man from the other night right next to her. He had walked up beside her so quietly she hadn't heard him.

He glanced at her, his eye shining with amusement.

"Is this fresh, yeah?" He asked, picking up the same peach Rei had set down. Granny Baba narrowed her eyes and swatted at him with her fan.

"Of course it's fresh, boy. I wouldn't sell rotten fruit." The man smiled and handed her a few yen, turning to look at Rei who was still watching him with uncertainty.

"I've met you before, haven't I?" She asked, tilting her head. He smiled.

"It was at that dingy bar, yeah," he laughed. "You were pretty drunk, uhn."

"What did I tell you about drinking!" Granny Baba shrieked. Rei's eyes widened and she grasped the mans arm, pulling him out of the way of the oncoming fruit assault.

She dragged him a little ways away, and only when she was sure she was out of danger did she realize just how much muscle was beneath the flesh of his arm, how warm his smooth skin was against her fingers.

She could feel her face flush and quickly pulled her hand away.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to drag you." Rei smiled sheepishly, giving a small bow.

"Its okay, yeah." He waved his hand, brushing it off. "She seemed pretty mad, uhn." Rei nearly swooned. The way he pinned his sentences, the small noise almost sexual. It was a strange habit and entirely alluring.

"She doesn't like that I take her granddaughter drinking." Rei rolled her eyes a little, a girlish giggle spilling from her lips. Giggling, really? She groaned internally. The man smiled. "I'm sorry, I've forgotten your name."

"You were pretty drunk." His smile was radiant. "Its Kokiru."

Rei felt her heart slow in her chest, but her senses sharpened. His eyes were a startling blue. There was no denying this man was attractive, but something didn't sit well with her. She smiled coyly, tilting her head.

"Walk with me. Maybe I can show you around a little." Kokiru smiled in return.

"I'd like that, yeah."

They began to walk through the market. It wasn't nearly as busy as the other day, and the marketfolk were far more relaxed. It was peaceful and public.

"So are you going to tell me now why you're in Sagai?" Rei waved at a merchant as they passed who nodded her way.

"I'm just passing through. My business partner and I are on our way to receive a package, yeah."

"Oh?" Rei pressed casually, smiling all the time. She couldn't repress her disappointment that he wouldn't be around longer.

"Its been really boring, honestly, uhn." He tilted his head and scratched at his scalp. Rei avoided looking at his long hair or into his eyes, instead watching his teeth. Maybe then her heart wouldn't betray her before she knew who this man really was.

"Where are you from?"

"Iwagakure, yeah." Rei took note of the dark glint in his eye. Was that a smile on his lips?

"Oh, I'm sorry." She frowned. "What happened to that place is really terrible, isn't it?"

"Oh?" He seemed to hesitate. "How much do you know about that, uhn?" Rei noticed him tense and she could feel her heartbeat quicken. Had she pushed into a bad subject?

"Not much!" She put out her hands, palms forward. "We don't have to talk about it."

"No, uhn," he said after a moment. She could see him relax slightly and wondered if the storm had passed, but there was that strange glint in his eye, a passing look he couldn't hide. Was she mistaken to think it was pride of some kind? "I don't miss the place much, yeah. Besides, what happened was really kind of incredible, wasn't it, yeah?"

Rei frowned, thinking back. She had heard about the destruction of Iwagakure through many sources. It wasn't too long ago that some insane pyromaniac had destroyed the entire village, and killed many in the process. It had been a real tragedy. She was so busy thinking that she missed the excitement burning under his skin.

"I guess that's one way to say it." She thought for a moment, looking upwards. The sky was entirely cloudless. It seemed to go on forever.

"Enough about me, yeah. Tell me more about you."

Rei looked up at him, a little bewildered. "What about me?"

"What's a girl like you doing in a farming town like this, uhn." He brushed against her arm and she could feel her blood rush into her cheeks.

"Oh-oh, well." Rei coughed, turning away go hide her embarrassment. He was really hitting on her! "I grew up here, actually. Never had it in my mind to leave."

"This place seems a little boring. Don't you crave adventure, yeah?" He stepped in front of her, his eyes boring into her own. She couldn't escape his gaze, and so she couldn't hide that yes, she did. At least a little bit.

"Oh I couldn't leave Granny, or my friends. Well, friend." Rei crossed her arms, her face growing more red the longer he stared at her. She pulled her eyes away, feeling exposed.

"I don't believe that, uhn." He smiled, leaning closer. "There's so much more out there, you know, yeah. People and things you could never imagine, uhn." His eyes were alite with fire. "This world is full of art, uhn. All of it's so fleeting. You have to go and see it before it goes away, yeah, and you're gonna miss it all staying here."

"Art, huh?" Rei asked, thoughtful but still hesitant.

"Art, yeah." His gaze was intense, and Rei didnt know how but she found herself looking into his eye again, wondering if she did leave. Would Sagai be ok without her? Would the people important to her be safe?

"There's plenty of that here." She couldn't leave. She couldn't take that chance.

"Where, uhn?" He asked incredulously, crossing his arms and leaning back almost haughtily. He stared at her, daring her to prove him wrong.

"Well, like that," Rei gestured to a stall just behind him, filled with trinkets and small sculptures. "Those are the things the people here make. They represent the gods who look down upon Sagai."

Kokiru stepped underneath the tent, gazing around at the sculptures. His eyes were appraising. When the man watching the stall gave him a nod, he nodded back just barely, two passing artists recognizing one another.

"This isn't what I call art, uhn."

Rei gave him a shocked look, but he continued.

"Its all good, yeah. I appreciate what he can do, what your people can do." He hummed thoughtfully, his eye searching and hungry for every detail. "But art is a blast, yeah."

He turned on Rei, and she noticed in that moment the integrity of a hunter. He could see beyond her soul. She knew every pore in her skin, every strand of her hair had not gone unnoticed. She was bare before him. Vulnerable. When he looked away, her core ached.

"It is a fleeting moment, uhn." He was far away, now. In a moment Rei hadn't seen, a time she would never experience. "A second in time. A flash of light and then it's gone. Yeah."

The predator in Rei saw opportunity.

"I suppose you could look at it that way," she mused. "But don't you think art should be eternal?"

She hadn't expected him to flinch so hard. Like a shock, he was brought back to the present.

"What, uhn?"

"I don't know." Rei mused for a moment, lost in her own thoughts. "Art is history, a snapshot in time."

"Yeah, exactly, uhn!" He scoffed. "Like with time, you blink and it's gone, yeah."

"But it should be preserved!" Rei argued haughtily, amused to get a reaction and partially caught in her own beliefs. "I see what you mean, but I think you should be able to go back to those moments. See what was preserved, what really meant something to your ancestors.

"Art is a record of the past, a connection to the gods plans." Reis lips quirked cockily. Kokiru's eyebrow raised.

"You think the gods have plans for things as fleeting as humans, uhn?"

Rei thought for a moment, pursing her lips.

"I think it's possible. But so is anything," she shrugged, waving away the thought. She began to walk away, delighted when he followed her.

"So do you believe in fate, uhn?" Kokiru fell into step beside her, looking at her with such intensity. Rei forced herself to steady, trying not to walk too fast in her excitement.

"I suppose that I-"

"Rei!" She was cut off by the call of a familiar voice.

She and Kokiru broke from their conversation to find Shinobu walking toward them, a cautious smile on his face.

"How are you feeling?" He asked as he came closer, his eyes raking over the familiar faces. "Hello again," he bowed to the blond stranger. Normally he wouldn't recognize an unfamiliar face, but this character stuck out in their small village.

"Oh, I'm ok." Rei laughed a little awkwardly, embarrassed to be caught in such an intense conversation with a stranger. "I was a little hungover but I got over it quickly."

"That's good. You should really be more careful," Shinobu sighed, running a hand through his long brown hair. He turned to her companion. "I don't mean to be rude. I'm Shinobu," he offered, smiling kindly. It was his way.

"Kokiru," he replied. Shinobu didn't miss the stiffness in his voice, and neither did Rei. Had he interrupted something? The thought made Rei's heart flutter and Shinobu's sink.

"I can take care of myself, Shinobu." Rei put her hands on her hips, not seeming to care that she had rudely forgotten to introduce them and then cut into their greetings.

"That's not what I was saying!" Shinobu laughed, putting his hands up in defense. "I've never met a stronger girl than you, Rei. I just think you shouldn't drink so much."

"Says the bartender." Rei rolled her eyes. "What, am I a bad customer?" She glanced sideways at Kokiru, searching for stiffness in his shoulders. To her relief he seemed to be relaxing. She looked away a moment too soon to see the way he glanced beyond Shinobu, his eyes narrowing.

"No! Not at all, I just-!" Shinobu sighed, looking comically desperate. "Please don't twist my words."

"Dammnit, uhn!" Kokiru suddenly cursed. Rei turned to him, a little surprised.

"What? What happened?" She looked around. Usually she was very sharp. Had she missed something?

"I forgot, uhn," he laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding eye contact. Rei noticed how his movements were so smooth, almost rehearsed. How could someone be so graceful? "My business partner is waiting for me, yeah. I just got so distracted…" His eye made sharp connection with Rei's just then and her heart stopped. She could feel her breath sticking in her throat.

Shinobu stared between them in the moment of silence, deflated.

"So, uhn, I've got to go, yeah." Kokiru watched Reis face fall in disappointment. For a ninja, she was dangerously expressive. "But I'll see you around, yeah?"

"Yeah. I mean." She coughed. "Of course."

"It was nice to meet you, yeah. Shubino?"

"Shinobu."

"Yeah. Later, Rei, uhn."

With that he turned and walked away.

Rei and Shinobu watched him walk, chatting idly to one another.

The market was still filled with chatter and people, and he was too far away for them to hear him mutter to himself.

"How desperate, uhn."


End file.
